-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com welcome to nhk world "newsline." the japanese government is considering additional economic stimulus you measures to counter the recent appreciation of the yen. prime minister kan told officials on wednesday his administration would begin studying ways to offset the rising yen.

data released by the cabinet office from april to june show that the pace of the country's economic recovery greatly slowed. the stronger yen also affected export-related companies. the business community called for additional pump-priming measures. the government is considering extending an incentive program for eco-friendly homes. the number of cars owned by japanese households has dropped for the first time in more than 45 years. this reflects a move by consumers to use other means of transportation. the internal means ministry conducts a survey every five years on durable goods across the country. last year's survey of more than 56,000 households shows there

were 1.4 cars per household of people. that marks the first drop since the government began taking the survey in 1964. the trend was noticeable among people in their 40s with a drop of 6.6, followed with those below 30 at 6.4% and those in their 30s with a fall of 1.5%. the ministry says in recent years, young people have become reluctant to get cars and older people are getting rid of old cars to save on maintenance cars. the number of households without cars is also increasing. chblth the united nations warns that 3.5 million children in flood-stricken pakistan are at risk from water-borne disease. the country has been inundated by heavy rain since the end of july. flooding has spread to southern

and central areas in the riff. more than 1,600 people have died. water-borne diseases are spread due to aa lack of clean drinking water. in a worse case scenario up to 1.5 million cases of cholera and acute respiratory infections could occur over the next three months. the u.n. children's fund said children are the most vulnerable and 3.5 million could contract life-threatening diseases. the united nations is appealing for $460 million in aid. but you as of monday it collected just over $14 million. the japanese government is considering sending self-defense force helicopters to pakistan as the humanitarian crisis worsens. prime minister kan discussed relief measures with foreign

minister okada on wednesday. he said they would provide grants worth manner $14 million. the government will also considering sending helicopters to transport flood victims and aid supplies in affected areas. the government will make a final decision after a team of defense and foreign ministry officials returns from pakistan. china has begun talks with north korea about an aircraft that crashed in northeastern china on tuesday. the state run news agency says it crashed 150 miles from the border with north korea. on wednesday xinhuan reported for the first time the aircraft might be from north korea. the agency says the pilot died in the crash. photographs of the crash site were published on the internet on wednesday. the wreckage bears the markings of a star similar to ones found on north korean military aircraft. observers say that the chinese government aims to settle the matter as quickly as possible.

a leading japanese electronics component manufacturer will acquire a mortar production business from a u.s. electronics giant. nidec will purchase emerson in a bid to further boost its global operations in home appliances, automotive and industrial motors. in january, nidec acquired an italian manufacturer in a bid to expand business in europe. the deal is estimated to be worth about $700 million, which nidec will pay for in cash. nidec expects to complete the transaction by the end of september. a joint del immigration from japan's government and private sector is asking china to give

harsher penalties to people who violate intellectual property rights. they held meetings with chinese officials. deputy international trade representative said the issue is crucial and he expressed hope for greater cooperation. the sell of counterfeit foreign products are widespread practices in china. more than half of japanese businesses surveyed last year said their intellectual property invites had been violated in the country. u.s. automaker general motors and japan's mazda are each recalling over 200,000 cars in the u.s. and other countries. gm said on tuesday that it will recall about 243,000 sport

utility vehicles sold in the u.s., canada, china and other countries. a seat belt malfunction is the cause. the recall affects the buick enclave, chevrolet traverse, gmc acadia and saturn outlook made between 2009 and 2010. damage to buckles of second row seat belts could unfasten. this would lead to injuries in the event of a crash. the chevy traverse has been imported into japan. gm has not clarified what action it will take in japan. also on tuesday, mazda reported too the u.s. national highway safety traffic administration it plans to recall 2 million cars made between 2007 and 2009. the company says rust in the power steering parts could lead to a reduced response when a

driver turns the wheel. international interest in japanese animation or anime has been growing each other. professional animators used to be the only ones able to create these cartoons. but now flash animation software is making it possible for other enthusiasts to make their own, opening the door to new business opportunities. ♪ >> reporter: this is a popular flash animation series on the web that began three years ago. the animation gets about 50,000 hits a day. this cartoon, humorlessly depicts the friendship of this girl and these twin girls. the creator lives in osaka, western japan.

she uses flash software, which allows her to create the series at home. making the characters move is easy. all she has to do is draw a line. the character then moves along the path of the line. for gestures, she just sets the start and end points and the speed. she even does the voices herself. oshima used to work as a children's clothing designer. but a year and a half, she started making a living with her animation and left the company. >> translator: i didn't expect this to happen. it started out only as a hobby. >> reporter: van works operates a waebt that showcases flash

animation like oshima's. it was founded five years ago and sales have increaseded to more than $3 million a year. the firm seeks out promising animators. so far it helped nearly 100 people make their professional debuts. >> translator: people who watch anime are now creating them. we're trying to help as many amateurs as possible become professional. >> reporter: the web firm is now looking to expand. a major publishing firm was also impressed with oshima's cartoon. a year and a half ago, they began publishing a print version of her series in a magazine. the magazine is targeted at elementary school girls and has a monthly circulation of 200,000. this is one of the top three most popular in the magazine. >> translator: children begin web surfing when they're in elementary school. so it's advantageous for us to

use the internet to find new content for publications. >> reporter: character goods are also a big business. in the case of popular flash animation, over 200 character-related items like key chains, toys and games were put on sale. total sales from goods surpassed $11 million, bringing in royalties of over $550,000. >> translator: flash animation has so much potential. i really believe the opportunities are limitless. >> reporter: flash animation production companies are also being seen. dream link entertainment began accepting projects five years ago with 50 employees, the firm has annual sales of $11 million. the company's major advantage lies in the speed and low cost of its productions. it takes them only five days to

make a three-minute flash advertisement for a car dealer. and it costs about one-fifth that of a regular animation. the firm is actively trying to expand to overseas markets. last year, they received a request from a french cable tv station to air a 30-minute original animation once a week for half a year. the firm was able to produce one episode a week for around $9,000. now they're focusing on selling their it productions to mainland china and taiwan. they've hired chinese employees and have set up a chinese language website. >> translator: it's perfect timing because the asian entertainment industry is eager to team up with japanese firms to learn the japanese way of

creating animation. >> reporter: flash animation will likely have a colorful future as fresh new you talent and low-cost production draw even more business opportunities. >> wednesday marked the first anniversary of the death of south korea's former president, kim daejung. he was awarded the nobel peace prize for his efforts to improve peace with the north. kim died at the age of 85. he played a major role in helping democratize south korea and sponsor the first korean summit in 2000. people at the memorial offered

prayers and placed flowers in front of kim's grave. the current south korean president shifted away from kim's policies and has taken a hard line with north korea. >> romania said it's going to extradite a russian diplomat. it tells the russian embassy that a russian diplomat must leave romania within 48 hours. this comes a day after russia's federal security defense it said it detained a romanian diplomat on suspicion of spying. they released a video on monday that allegedly shows the romanian diplomat picking up a military secret file at a shopping mall in moscow. the contents of the file have not been made public. diplomatic suspects speculate that romania has been trying to

track russian forces in neighboring moldova. russia's foreign ministry condemned the alleged espionage. japan's heat wave didn't ease on wednesdayed. temperatures climbed up 35 degrees celsius in the central and western parts of the country. weather officials are warning people to be careful of heat stroke. the meteorological agency said temperatures reached 36 degrees in tokyo. a nursing care provider

visited the homes of elderly citizens to advise them what to do to prevent heat stroke. she checked the room temperature and told them to drink enough water. elderly people have a harder time regulating their body temperature and can suffer from heat stroke even when inside. more than 280 people, many elderly, have died from heat stroke this summer in japan. japan's welfare minister has visited a child welfare center to discuss the growing problem of child abuse. this comes after an incident in july in which a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old were found dead in a condominium in osaka ever being abandoned by their mother.

at a center in tokyo, the minister observed the activities of the staff and solicited their opinions on government measures on wednesday. staff members said they work long hours investigating reports of abuse. they asked the minister for more staff to help them provide an adequate level of service and asked him to take steps to help avoid trouble with parents whose children have been taken into child protective custody. child abuse is on the rise in japan. last year, child welfare centers in the country handled more than 44,000 cases, a record high number. businesses that target children are booming in south

korea. goods and lessons make up the bulk of the market. but new facilities are offering educational programs centered on practical experience. we look at south korea's growing kids industry. >> reporter: this is a sports club for children near seoul. since it opened in march 2008, revenue has increased by 30% each year. today about 1,200 children take lessons here. the club has joined hands with seoul national university to offer a systematic program that take account of children's developmental stages. on this day, 5-year-olds are doing exercises that help develop short-term memory. 7-year-olds are learning to overcome fear of heights.

>> translator: children today have little time to play outside and few places to play. i hope they will learn the joy of exercise here while having fun and develop physical strength. >> reporter: this is a cafe that is like a theme park. it provides children with opportunities to have unusual experiences and develop their originality and thinking power. these children are sporting hard hats. add to that a hoe and shovel and they're ready to get to work. they go into a coal mine. dressed like miners, the children walk around inside a mock underground. they look for gemstones. the place offers nearly 100 kinds of age-based experiences like what it's like to be an ant or even a vegetable.

they can make a diamond necklace. the session lasts about an hour. >> translator: to cultivate creativity children should experience difficult places and things. but that isn't easy to do today. we want them to experience a range of experience and develop their imagination. >> reporter: this rather unorthodox kids cafe is also located near seoul. inside are a shopping center, a hospital, a fire station and other public facilities. they're designed to help children improve their social skills. children change into uniforms first. here they learn how society works through role-playing. this booth is a mock hospital. children play different roles. this supermarket is full of little shoppers.

in the meantime, the mothers are having coffee upstairs, watching the children through the window or on video screens. >> translator: i can watch my child playing with friends. i'm glad i get to take a rest too. >> translator: this place is not just for fun. it's also educational. we come here often. >> reporter: these even an infant education specialist. mothers can talk to the specialist on things like depression and hyperactivity disorder. these are mental illnesses that are found increasingly among children. they can be treated better if caught early. >> translator: more and more families have only one child. and there's an increasingly need to develop their interpersonal skills through play. that's why these services are attracting attention.

>> reporter: new services are sprouting all the time and there seems to be no end to the growth of the kids industry. and now the market figures.

here's the weather forecast with saki ochi. hi there. welcome back to world weather update. japan today, still under strong area of high pressure. we're seeing a lot more sunshine today and things are going to get pretty hot. temperatures will be rising again for southern areas. now, for the continental region, we'll see a little bit of moisture come on in this afternoon. including tokyo, we may see a little bit more rainfall. it's definitely a pretty overcast day for this section of japan. elsewhere, a long rain band forming across china. also we've got a low pressure system across mongolia. the bulk of the rain will be here, this long rain band. rainfall accumulations will get up there in the next couple of days, as much as 120 millimeters or more for parts of

northeastern china as well as in the province for heavier rains. do stay on the watch for flooding as well as landslides. temperatures south of that rain band really getting up there. 36 degrees in shanghai. 32 in hong kong. extreme heat for you. do stay on the watch for that. meanwhile, like i said, japan looking at pretty high temperatures for the southern half of the country. but anywhere from tokyo to the north, milder conditions for you. only 31 degrees. a nice drop in temperatures today. as for the u.s., looking at this frontal boundary that remains locked in place over the deep south. rain happy falling pretty steadily. that's looking to continue for the next couple of days. for well into the latter half of this week, we'll continue to see showers impact the deep south, especially gulf coast areas and the florida peninsula. looking for a lot more showers

to continue. do watch for flooding to continue here. out west, it is going to be averagely dry. a couple of showers showing up along the rockies. mountainous areas may see thundershowers. nothing too heavy. definitely dry conditions continuing for you. cloudy across seattle and vancouver. 32 in denver and 34 degrees for houston. slightly cooler than yesterday. and then looking at a lot of 30s on the east coast. 32 for atlanta. getting a look at europe. there is a bid of clouds across north africa. thunderstorms impacting the region here. otherwise, southern europe looks fairly try and settled. temperatures getting a little bit hot for areas across greece. otherwise, looking at that rain to continue impacting the northern tier of europe. baltic states, western russia, southern portions of norway as well as sweden.

denmark picking up on that rain today. british isles, a couple more showers move in off the atlantic. looking pretty dry for eastern sections here. 23 degrees for your high in london with sunny intervals. 25 in paris. 24 degrees for vienna. 25 in kiev. looking a lot cooler in the east here. 22 degrees for moscow. a big dip in temperatures. it's actually even going to get cooler tomorrow. look forward to that. it should be a lot more mild and nice. that's a look at your weather for now. here is your three-day outlook.

that concludes this edition of "newsline." we'll be back in half an hour with the latest news and weather. thanks for joining us on nhk world.